In a network system, one or more clients may be coupled to a server where the server may store one or more applications shared by one or more users, i.e., the one or more users of the one or more clients. An application shared by one or more users may commonly be referred to as a groupware application. Subsequently, a groupware application may allow multiple users to be simultaneously active within the single groupware application. In this manner, several users may simultaneously utilize documents in the groupware application. Typically, a document may be passed along to users through groupware code, e.g., Lotus™. When the document is edited by one of the users who have access to the document, it may be saved by that particular user under the current version. When that particular user saves the edited document under the current version, the previous changes made by other user(s) may be lost. Subsequently, that particular user may save the edited document under a new version thereby preserving the previous changes made by other user(s) in a previous version.
When a user desires to compare the differences in one version versus another version of a particular document, the user may use an application, e.g., Compare Rite, that highlights the changes made between the two versions. A new document may subsequently be created by the application, e.g., Compare Rite, indicating which words were added and deleted in one of the two versions with respect to the other version of the document. Unfortunately, a version of the document embodying changes made by one or more users may not be viewed concurrently with the original version of the document in a single object thereby allowing a user to visually compare and contrast the changes made by one or more users. That is, a version of the document embodying changes made by one or more users may not be viewed concurrently with the original version of the document in the same window such as on a computer screen.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a groupware application that allows changes to a shared document by each user to be viewed relative to the original version of the shared document within a single object.